Telepresence by human-assisted remote controlled devices and robots

ABSTRACT

A telepresence system comprising a workstation which allows a user to specify a venue located at a remote site. The workstation accepts control information from, and conveys sensory information to, the user. The telepresence system also comprises several remotely controlled systems at remote locations, which carry sensors collecting sensory information from their environment. Each remotely controlled system also requires human assistance to operate according to control information sent by the user. The telepresence system also comprises a means for allocating one of the remotely controlled systems to the specified venue. The telepresence system also comprises a means for allocating a human assistant to assist the allocated remote system. The telepresence system also comprises a bi-directional communication channel which links the workstation to the allocated remote system and transmits control information from the workstation to the allocated remote system and sensory information from the allocated remote system to the workstation.

This invention claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/576,225 with the same title, “Telepresence by Human-AssistedRemote-Controlled Devices and Robots” filed on Jun. 1, 2004 and which ishereby incorporated by reference. Applicant claims priority pursuant to35 U.S.C. Par 119(e)(i). This invention relates to telepresence,teleimmersion and remote controlled robots. More specifically it relatesto methods and systems allowing any user in a network to remotelyoperate a device located at a remote location on the network, insituations in which these devices have technological and/or legallimitations in their operation and require the assistance of one or morehumans at the remote location.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION Background

A telepresence system, in its widest sense, allows a user to experiencebeing in a remote environment by perceiving sensory informationtransmitted to him through a communication channel, by a remotelycontrolled device. It also allows the user to act on this remoteenvironment by transmitting to this remotely controlled device data thatallows the device to operate according to his wish. Such devices providedifferent degrees of realism depending on the technology used. Theyrange from the simple telephone to remotely controlled robots that allowthe user to feel totally immersed in the remote environment. Theserobots accept from their user complex commands that allow them to moveand act in two or three dimensions, and transmit back to the usersensory data such as video, audio and tactile information. Between thesetwo extremes there are a multitude of devices such as:

-   -   1) Wireless phones    -   2) Videophones    -   3) Wireless videophones    -   4) Videophone on remotely controlled swivel that can be oriented        by the remote user    -   5) Remotely controlled robots equipped with cameras and driven        by the remote user    -   6) Remotely controlled robots equipped with cameras as well as        carrying a display of user's face, which allows the user to have        a realistic. “face-to-face” interaction with remotely located        humans.

As one versed in the art appreciates, a multitude of variations existthat include a variety of sensors such as cameras, microphones, tactilesensors, force sensors, etc; actuator means such as speakers, roboticarms etc; communication channels such as telephone lines, radio links,the internet etc), and displays (such as CRTs, LCDs, LEDs, ELDs, Plasmadisplays, etc, and with varying degrees of resolution such as regular TVor high definition TV, and sometimes capable of stereoscopic,autostereoscopic and 3D.)

In very simple telepresence devices such as the telephone, only sensorydata (audio) flows through the communication link between the users; nodata capable of commanding motion is present. These devices aretypically stationary. They can be mobile as is the case for cell orremote phones, only if the human holding the device moves at the remotelocation. The movement of the device at the remote location does notpresent any liability to the user at the proximal location since hecannot affect the movement of this device. In addition the device at theremote location is not nominally at risk since it is under the controlof a human.

In more complex telepresence systems the user is allowed to control themobility and operation of the remote device. In those cases, he exposeshimself to liability since the movement of the device can present risksto itself and to its surroundings. This liability stems in part because,given the current state of technology, these devices cannot provide theuser with a perfect experience of the remote environment: the sensoryinformation provided to the user is of a quality lower than what hewould have received if he was, in person, at the remote location.Sensory shortcomings may originate from factors such as the narrow fieldof view of the robot's optics; the partial or complete lack of tactileinformation including pressure, temperature and muscular feedback; thepartial or complete lack of directionality information carried by thedata (such as audio); and the lack of sense of balance.

In addition, the control that the user exercises on the remote devicemay also be limited by such factors as bandwidth and latency in thecommunication channel and by inertia, delay and other electrical andmechanical limitations of the robotic actuators. In addition, latencybetween an orientation command activated by a head motion of the userand the corresponding change in the display can make the user nauseousif it exceeds approximately 30 milliseconds.

If the user decides, for example, to control the device to cross a busythoroughfare, he'll put the device at risk and may endanger other peopleand vehicles on the road because his ability to detect and evadeincoming cars and to control the movement of the device is restricted asexplained above. Similarly, for a user to drive a car through such adevice is currently out of the question.

Thus a telepresence device operated by a user without the help of aremotely located human assistant, in any environment ranging from acrowded urban environment to an unsafe country area may entail increasedrisk of damage to the device and to surrounding property. Suchunassisted operation may also increase the possibility of injury tonearby humans.

In addition, a remotely controlled mobile robot may be incapable ofperforming repair and maintenance on itself should something go wrongwith its mechanism or electronics.

Admittedly, given enough funding and research, it may be possible, inthe future, to build a remotely controlled device that solves all theseproblems. However, given the limited funding that a user can provide,and given the current state of technology, such devices will be limitedin their operation in the present and foreseeable future.

Because these remote devices do not embody all the capabilities of ahuman, they are at risk of damage to themselves, and can endanger thehumans and objects in the environment in which they operate, and therebypresent a liability to their owners or users. It is therefore clear thatgiven the current state of the technology such remotely controlleddevices will require human assistance at the remote location fortechnological as well as legal reasons.

If human assistants are to be allocated to remote devices in acommercial environment involving a plurality of users as well as aplurality of remote devices and human assistants, then there is also theneed for a method of allocating users, devices and human assistants. Inparticular, there is a need for providing a potential user with a listof telepresence venues from which he can choose.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method ofoperation of a remote device that can reduce the risk of damage toproperty and injury to human. It is also an object of this invention toprovide a method of operation of a remote device in which a human ispresent at the remote location to assist the remote device. It isanother object of this invention to provide a method of allocating,interconnecting and assigning users, remote devices and humanassistants.

Further features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention willbe more fully understood when considered with respect to the followingdetailed description, claims and accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention describes a telepresence system which allows a userlocated at a proximal location to select a venue located at a remotesite and operate a remotely-controlled system with the help of a humanassistant located at the remote site. The remotely controlled systemcomprises an interface for conveying control information sent by theuser to the human assistant. The remotely-controlled system is selectedor specified from a multiplicity of remotely-controlled systems locatedat different venues.

The telepresence system also comprises a means for allocating from thismultiplicity of remotely controlled systems, one particular remotelycontrolled system according to the venue specified by the user. Thetelepresence system also comprises a means for allocating from a pool ofpersons at least one human assistant located at the remote site whosetask is to assist the allocated remote system in its operation.

The telepresence system also comprises a bi-directional communicationchannel linking the workstation to the allocated remote system. Thischannel transmits control information from the workstation to theallocated remote system, and sensory information back from the allocatedremote system to the workstation for conveyance to the user.

The invention allows for varying degrees of cooperation between the userand the human assistant. In its simplest form, the user holds a firstvideo cell phone and observes through it the environment captured by asecond video cell phone or a camera held by the human assistant. Theuser can control the position and orientation of the second video cellphone or camera by sending voice instructions to the human assistantthrough the cell phone. More complex implementations involve moreelaborate telepresence workstations such as a computer, variouscommunication channels such as the Internet, various sensors built-inthe remote device such as video and audio, varying degrees of help bythe human assistant, various vehicles and support for carrying theremote device, and a business method for allocating users to devices andto human assistants and organizing the transaction between atelepresence equipment provider, a user and a human assistant. The userof the telepresence service is an end-user of the telepresence service.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates in block diagram form the basic operation of theinvention and includes the telepresence workstation, the communicationchannel, the remote device, the human assistant and the allocationsystem.

FIG. 2 shows how several users, remote devices and human assistants canbe allocated to each other by means of internet connections.

FIG. 3 shows how several users, remote devices and human assistants canbe allocated to each other through an intermediary web server on theInternet.

FIG. 3A illustrates the business method starting with the intake of acustomer to the billing process.

FIG. 4 describes a simple telepresence system wherein video cell phonesare used both by the user and by the human assistant.

FIG. 5 shows how a remote device mounted on a swivel can be mounted onthe shoulder of a human assistant.

FIG. 6 illustrates how the user could use a computer as a workstationand the human assistant could use a video phone or the like as a remotedevice.

FIG. 7 describes how a remote device can be mounted on a dolly pushed bya human assistant.

FIG. 8 shows how a remote device can be placed on a hand-pushed fourwheel cart.

FIG. 9 indicates how a remote device can be mounted on a type of vehicleknown under the trademark of SEGWAY. It also shows how the workstationcould include a wheel chair.

FIG. 10 illustrates how a remote device can be mounted on a four wheelvehicle which can be driven optionally by the user (with human assistantsupervision) or by the human assistant.

FIG. 11A shows a video image of the user displayed by the humanassistant.

FIG. 11B illustrates how the presence of the user can be emphasized andthat of the human assistant de-emphasized, by masking the head of thehuman assistant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The basic description of this invention is shown in FIG. 1. It includesthe following components:

-   -   a) a telepresence workstation located at the user's location,        allowing the user to specify the venue characteristics such as        type and location of the telepresence experience that he        desires. This workstation has an interface used during        telepresence operation for accepting control information from        the user and also for conveying sensory information to the user.    -   b) a pool of remotely controlled systems located at one or more        locations remote from the user. These remotely controlled        systems comprise at least one sensor for collecting sensory        information from their environment and require human assistance        to operate. In addition they have an interface for conveying a        part or the whole of the control information to the human        assistant.    -   c) a means for allocating from the pool of remotely controlled        systems, a particular remotely controlled system to the        telepresence venue specified by the user. This selected remotely        controlled system shall henceforth be called allocated remote        system.    -   d) a means for allocating from a pool comprising at least one        person, at least one human assistant located at said remote site        whose task is to assist said allocated remote system in its        operation;    -   e) a bi-directional communication channel linking the        workstation to the allocated remote system. This communication        channel transmits the control information from the workstation        to the allocated remote system. It also transmits the sensory        information back from the allocated remote system to the        workstation for conveyance to the user.        Each of the above modules can be implemented in a multitude of        ways. The human assistant and the means for performing the        business transaction may be optional.

Telepresence Workstation

The telepresence workstation which allows the user to conducttelepresence operations, provides the user with the capability ofselecting a telepresence venue. The venue is characterized byinformation such as location, desired type of hardware, duration ofservice etc. These issues will be discussed below.

The telepresence station collects telepresence control information byand data entry devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a camera, ajoystick, a lever, a touch pad, a light pen, a touch sensitive screen, acursor ball, a scroll wheel, a sensory glove, an eye tracking device, ahead tracking device, a pedal, an electroencephalogram machine, a skinconductivity sensor, and a microphone, for generating said controlinformation. For the purpose of this invention, one must note that theterm “control information” is applied to any information that iscommunicated from the telepresence workstation to the allocated remotesystem. For example, video image of the user is considered controlinformation.

The telepresence workstation collects control information generated bythe user and conveys sensory information to the user. The controlinformation may comprise audio data destined for the human assistantand/or machine readable data for the remotely controlled system. Acamera at the telepresence workstation permits images of the user to becaptured and transmitted as part of the control information to theremote location to be displayed by the allocated remote system. Thisfunction allows the image of the user, for example, of his face, to bedisplayed at the remote location to enable face-to-face contact withhumans at the remote location.

Sensory information collected at the remote location are communicatedback to the telepresence workstation and conveyed to the user byimplements such as a display, a speaker, a touch device and a smellgenerating device.

Sensory information can be edited before it is presented to the user toconvey to him additional information. For example written text such astranscripted voice data can be added to the display. Translated voicedata can be dubbed into the audio. The audio data can be augmented withmusic or dubbed with a voice translation from the remote location.Translation would be of interest to the user if he does not understandthe language spoken at the remote location. Video data can be augmentedwith a textual transcription of voice data (for example for the hard ofhearing) or even with a translated transcription of the voice data.Audio and/or video data can be augmented with touristic information,navigation information, weather data, running rental cost and labor costfor said human assistant.

Similarly, control information can be edited. For example, voice datagenerated by the user and meant to direct the activities of the humanassistant, can be transcribed and/or translated before this informationis conveyed to the human assistant. Translation would be of particularinterest if the user and human assistant do not speak the same language.

The telepresence system can range from a simple cell phone capable ofvideo streaming to a complex teleimmersion system equipped with sensorygloves and a head-mounted high definition television (HDTV) orthree-dimensional display. The reader is referred to the vast scientificand technical literature describing telecommunication terminals, andmore specifically telephones, cell phones, video cell phones with videostreaming capability, displays, cameras, display/camera combinationsthat allow eye to eye contact, manual control devices such as mice,joysticks, levers, and the like, tactile devices such as sensory gloves,as well as smell and taste conveyance devices. Of particular interestfor the embodiment of a telepresence workstation are severaltechnologies that allow eye to eye contact between participants inteleconferencing. Some of these technologies are described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,675,376 by Andersson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,357 by McNelley, U.S.Pat. No. 5,359,362 by Lewis et al, U.S. Patent Application 2003/0151658by Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,254 by McNelley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,665by McNelley et al, U.S. Patent Application 2001/0038412A1 by McNelley etal, U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,301 by Smoot, U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,155 byMersereau, U.S. Pat. No. 5,856,842 by Tedesco, U.S. Patent Application2003/0112325A1 by Boyden et al., U.S. Patent Application 2003/0058334 byBoyden et al., U.S. Patent Application 2002/0041325 A1 by Maggioni.,U.S. Patent Application 2003/0058363A1 by Boyden et al., U.S. Pat. No.4,400,725 by Tanigaki, U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,323 by Tanigaki et al, U.S.Pat. No. 5,159,445 by Gitlin and al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,414 by Ting,U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,134 by Forrest et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,469,437 byParthasarathy, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,420,031 by Parthasarathy, et.al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,805 by Forrest et al., and U.S. Pat. No.5,703,436 by Forrest et al. All the above patents are herebyincorporated by reference.

Telepresence workstations can range in shape, size and portability andinclude cell phones, palmtops, laptops, desktops. They can be designedfor the healthy as well as for the disabled. For example, to accommodatethe old and the invalid they may include a wheelchair and/or any devicedesigned to facilitate their use by the sensory impaired or physicallydisabled

There may be more than one telepresence workstation all connected to anetwork such as the Internet and each linked to a different remotecontrolled unit in a multi-user environment.

Remotely Controlled Systems

The remotely controlled systems are located at remote geographiclocations from the telepresence workstation. These remote locations canbe anywhere the communication network can reach. The remotely controlledsystems comprise one or several sensors and possibly, as well, asactuators and displays. In addition, because of technical and/or legallimitations, these remotely controlled systems require human assistanceto operate.

Sensors, can be represented in one of the simplest embodiments such asin a cell phone, by just a microphone capable of collecting audio data;a more complex embodiment would include a camera such as in a video cellphone capable of producing video streams; a more complex embodiment yet,can be embodied by a remotely controlled robot equipped with a fullarray of sensors duplicating human's senses. Information collected bythe sensors is packed and communicated to the user via the communicationnetwork and the telepresence workstation.

Actuators in one of the simplest embodiments can be represented by atleast one audio or video means for converting part of, or all, saidcontrol information in a form suitable to be understood by humans (i.e.,voice or images) For example a speaker can produce voice command and adisplay can generate graphic commands, to be executed by a humanassistant. Commands communicated by audio or video means would beessential to the control of the human assistant.

In a more complex embodiment, the actuators can be represented by aremotely controlled swivel on top of which a camera would be mounted.The swivel can have one or two degrees of freedom. Such a device wouldrely on the user to control the orientation of the camera with respectits carrier, and on the human assistant for translational movements aswell as orientation of the carrier.

In a more complex embodiment yet, the remote device would be capable offull locomotion and orientation under remote control by the user. As iswell known to one versed in the art, there is a multitude of means forlocomotion on land, water and air that can be used in this invention. Inparticular, a four wheel vehicle can provide good stability for a landvehicle. However, an interesting embodiment would include for thepurpose of locomotion, a type of vehicle similar to that with thetrademark “SEGWAY” as described in Kamen's U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,766. Thisvehicle would be equipped with one or several cameras as well as adisplay of the user's face and would be remotely controlled by the userunder the supervision of the human assistant.

Another means for locomotion for the remote device can be implementedusing mechanical legs instead of wheels. Substantial research has beenconducted at companies and institutions such as the University ofMichigan by Jessy W. Grizzle and Carnegie Mellon University on leggedlocomotion, more particularly, bipedal locomotion wherein the robot ismaintained upright by a feedback system that operates approximately likea biological cerebellum. It uses a sensor such as a gyroscope to detectthe deviation of the robot from the vertical and applies thatinformation to move the legs in a direction such as to correct for thisdeviation.

An interface (in the form of a graphical user interface for example) canbe placed on the remotely controlled system to convey to the humanassistant telepresence control commands issued by the user. Thisinterface can also be used by the human assistant to send informationback to the user. The actual software running this interface can belocated either on the remote controlled system, on the telepresencestation or on the server that supports the web site on which the userlogs on to obtain telepresence services. In addition, displays can bemounted on the remotely located device for a variety of reasons such asshowing the face of the user as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,713titled Robotic telepresence system by Jouppi, et al.

In addition, the remotely controlled system can incorporate audiospeakers to convey control information generated by the user to thehuman assistant.

The remote device can also be endowed with a varying degree of autonomy.In yet another and more complex embodiment, the remote device would beequipped with artificial intelligence capability whereby it can achievesemi-autonomy from said user and said human assistant such as to be ableto deal with low level control and maneuverability issues such as “TurnRight” or “Set Speed at 5 Miles per Hour,” leaving to the user the highlevel commands such as “Climb to the top of the mountain” or “Go to theSan Diego Convention Center.”

It should also be noted that the remote device is really a system whichdoes not have to be constructed in a single electronic box. It mayconsist of several separate components, some of which may be carried bythe human assistant and others may be carried in a dolly, cart oralternate convenient motorized or hand-pushed transport. For example,the human assistant can be carrying headphones to listen to theinstructions from the user, while pushing the rest of the remote deviceon a dolly. The headphones may be wirelessly connected, or have a wireconnection, to a receiver on board the dolly. Or the headphone may bewirelessly connected, or have a wired connection, to a cell phoneattached to the belt of the human assistant. Thus the remote devicecould be in several mechanically independent parts and the humanassistant could be carrying any number of these parts.

It should also be noted that the remote device could comprise biologicalcomponents including animals. For example navigation instructions couldbe sent by the user to the remote location and used at the remotelocation to control the animal's movements.

The remote controlled system could be totally dependent on the humanassistant for locomotion. More specifically the human assistant may haveto physically carry the remote controlled system. Alternatively theremote controlled system may include a wheeled transport. In this case,the task of the human assistant comprises pushing or driving the wheeledtransport.

Means for Allocating a Remotely Controlled System.

The allocation of the remotely controlled system could be performed in acentralized fashion or in a decentralized manner. For example, if thetelepresence operation is implemented on the Internet, the allocationprocess can be centrally run by software running on a server used by theweb site on which the telepresence business is run and on which the usermust log on to obtain telepresence services. Alternatively, theallocation process may be decentralized and subjected to a biddingprocess as in E-BAY™ where the decisions between sellers and buyersdepend on the sellers and buyers themselves. Thus, the allocation of theremotely controlled systems could be made by the owner of these systemsand by the prospective users of telepresence services. Yet anothermethod of allocation could be made by human agents arrangingtelepresence services for their customers. Still another allocationmethod is to reserve for each remotely controlled system a fixed venue.The telepresence user would then obtain access to these remote systemson a first-come, first-serve basis or some other predetermined priorityscheme.

Means for Allocation of Human Assistants

Since the remotely controlled systems have technical and/or legallimitations, they require the help of human assistants. The allocationof human assistants could approximately follow the same process as theones outlined above for the allocation of remotely controlled systems.

The human assistant tasks are to support the remotely controlled systemin its operation, and in particular in making use of control informationgenerated by the user. The human assistant could be selected for anydesirable skills or characteristics such as geographical location,foreign language fluency, engineering ability, touristic knowledge ofthe remote area or simply labor rate. The human assistant could providehis service freely or charge a fee. He could be a total stranger to, ora friend or family member of, the user. He could be an employee of anemployment company who the user or the telepresence hardware rentalcompany hires on a temporary or permanent basis. He could provide alanguage translation service to the user if the user must interact withpeople in a language unknown to him. If the environment is unfamiliar tothe user, the human assistant could serve as a guide.

One important task of the human assistant is to help the remote devicein its movement. He can accomplish this task in a number of waysincluding but not restricted to, carrying the device; pushing a dollycarrying the device; partially or fully controlling a motorized vehiclecarrying the device; supervising the operation of a remotely controlledvehicle that carries the device, only intervening in emergencies andunforeseen, risky or otherwise intractable situations; performingmaintenance of the device; or he could simply initiate and terminate theoperation of the remotely-controlled device. Thus the tasks of the humanassistant include:

-   -   a) providing translational locomotory services for said remote        control device;    -   b) orienting said remote control device;    -   c) providing engineering services for said remote control        device:    -   d) maintaining said remote control device;    -   e) providing touristic guide services to said user;    -   f) providing real estate guidance to said user;    -   g) providing a translation service to said user;    -   h) steering for said remote controlled device;    -   i) operating sensor of said remote controlled device;    -   j) providing billing services for rental of said remote        controlled device by said user

The human assistant may also carry at the remote location a live displayof the user to enable the user to experience being face-to-face withpeople at the remote location. Eye to eye contact can be achievedbetween the user and people at the remote location by equipping thedisplay with two cameras on either side. The two cameras generateindependent video streams which when combined can produce a point ofview located in the center of the display, thus allowing the user toexperience eye to eye contact with people at the remote location. Thistopic shall be discussed in greater detail below.

Additionally, the human assistant could shield his own face by means ofa mask, a hood or burkha to emphasize the virtual presence of the userat the remote location.

As the remote device becomes more and more autonomous, the role of thehuman assistant becomes more and more supervisory. For simple remotedevices incapable of locomotion, the human assistant is relied upon forthe movements of the device, such as translation, orientation andelevation. Slightly more complex remote devices may be equipped with aremote controlled swivel to give the user control over orientation andpossibly elevation leaving the remote assistant with the task ofcarrying the remote device and to provide it with translational movementaccording to the instructions he receives from the user. For yet morecomplex devices the responsibility of the remote assistant is restrictedto tasks such as checking for hazards and unlawful user's behavior,dealing with the unexpected, providing in-the-field maintenance, andguarding against theft of the remote device.

Communication Channel

The communication channel could be implemented in a multitude of ways asis well known to those versed in the art. It may be preferable for theremote station and/or human assistant to be connected wirelessly, toallow the device to be unencumbered with wires. However, the user at hisworkstation is not necessarily dependent on wireless technology. He canuse any communication channel to which his workstation is configuredprovided that the appropriate conversion is eventually performed alongthe communication line between the format at the workstation and theformat at the remote device. Thus the communication channel could alsobe a chain of communication steps, each step relying on a differenttechnology. These communications links include but are not limited tocellular networks, radio links, a telephone links, a cable links, andthe Internet.

One of the simplest embodiments is to establish a telephone link betweenthe user and the remote device and human assistant. The user could use aregular phone or a cell phone while the human assistant and/or remotedevice would use a wireless phone technology such as cell phones usingconventional cellular networks. This phone link would carry voice fromthe user to instruct the human assistant and/or data to control thedevice. In return, the user would receive voice information from thehuman assistant and/or data from the remote device (such as audio orvideo). Optionally, voice over Internet technology could be used.

Even more interesting is videophone technology, capable of transmittingvideo streams of the remote environment to the user and transmitting theimage of the user's face or body to the remote environment. According tothis embodiment, the remote device would comprise a video cell phone;the user's workstation would include video capability such as a videophone, a video cell phone or a computer capable of capturing anddisplaying streaming video images.

Of particular interest is the use of the newest wide band wirelesscommunication protocols described in the IEEE standard 802.16 calledWiMax and the IEEE standard 802.II. These communication systems workingtogether or separately can provide wireless wide band Internet access tothe remote device. More advanced and more powerful communicationprotocols are being developed such as the 802.IIn which may compete withDSL for broadband, yet offer wireless access. Clearly this invention isnot tied to any one particular communication method but can benefit fromnew advances in communication technology. Various combinations andpermutations chaining different communication technologies are alsoclearly possible as is well known in the art.

The use of the internet as a communication medium offers greatadvantages because of its global reach, its connectivity, and itsinherent ability to facilitate the allocation of a plurality of user toa plurality of remote devices and human assistants, for the purpose ofbusiness transactions.

Business Transaction Means

The means for conducting a business transaction for a telepresenceservice could take many forms. For example, in the case where a singleuser is to be allocated to a single remote device and human assistant,the means for performing the business transaction may be as trivial as asimple oral agreement between the user and the human assistant over ahand-shake or over the telephone. In the case where a plurality of usersmust be allocated to a plurality of remote devices and human assistants,the allocation may be performed by humans, by computer or by both. Theinternet, in particular, offers a suitable medium for performing suchtransactions.

The business transaction process could be very centralized andcontrolled at a central location such as a car-rental company. Forexample, the user would phone the telepresence rental company and askfor a telepresence robot at a particular date, time and place. Uponpayment, with credit card, for example, the telephone operator wouldprovide the user with the website address and password for a remotedevice satisfying the user's requirements. The telepresence rentalcompany would also allocate a human assistant for handling the remotedevice. This human assistant would be selected from a pool of employeesat the telepresence rental company or from one or several candidatesprovided by a separate employment agency.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system in which the allocation is centralized andperformed, for example, by software running on the server for the website, but the interaction is direct between the telepresence workstationand the remote device and human assistant. In such a system, the website software could still, for example, monitor in a supervisory way theextent of the transaction for billing and/or maintenance purposes.

Alternatively, the business could be run as a free market, independentlyof any centralized organization, using an auction market conducted overan Internet website such as the one trademarked under the name of E-BAY,where users and human assistants would make business arrangements basedon their own requirements and prices. Business transactions couldinvolve outright selling at a fixed price or bidding such that severalusers are competing to procure a service, or in which several humanassistants are competing to provide a service. In addition the owners ofthe remote controlled system could also use such an auction market torent or lease hardware. Such internet free market scenario wouldtypically require that users and human assistants post on the web theirlocation, availability, time and date, hardware in their possession,requirements (for users) and qualifications (for human assistants) andprice. As in E-BAY, the quality of the service provided by the humanassistants would be rated by the users and posted on the web to ensurecontinuing good service. In addition, payment, by credit card, forexample, could be performed by a secure transaction and placed in anescrow deposit before the service is rendered to guarantee that paymentis made.

In general, a business transaction for the use of a telepresence deviceover the internet requires the following steps also shown in FIG. 3A:

-   -   1) Intake and reservation    -   2) Allocation of the user to the remote device and to the human        assistant    -   3) Authorization    -   4) Establishing the connection    -   5) Remote operation    -   6) Billing

Intake and Reservation

This intake and reservation process requires querying the user for thefollowing information. The query can be done, in person, over the phoneor over the internet. Typically the query may comprise some or all ofthe following information:

-   -   1) The name and/or geographical location which the user is        interested in visiting by telepresence. This entry would be        required in instances where the remote location is known, such        as tourism. The user could define the venue location by typing        for example, location coordinates, street names, landmark's        names, school's name, hospital's name, convention center names,        etc. The user could also be given a choice from a list of        available venues. The venues could also be grouped and linked to        each other according to any desirable criteria, not necessarily        geographical. For example conference locations could be grouped        according to technical topics, tourist locations according to        language spoken, real estate locations according to price range,        shopping expeditions according to the type of objects to be        purchased etc. . . . Furthermore, these venues and groups of        venues could be linked according to any arbitrary desirable        manner, such as in a hierarchical network or even in a network        designed to appeal to a particular market.    -   2) The name of the person that he intends to visit. This entry        may be suitable in applications such as visits to persons in an        institution such as a home, a university, a hospital, or a        nursing home. In some cases, the address of the person to visit        may be retrievable from a database accessible by the        telepresence company or otherwise available.    -   3) The type and/or model of telepresence device that the user        desires. This entry would be required if there several models of        telepresence devices available to clients, with different        capabilities and prices.    -   4) Identification information regarding the human assistant.        This entry would be required if the user has any preference        regarding the human assistant, such as sex, age, language        spoken, religion, race, political affiliation, etc, staying        within legal parameters.    -   5) The language that he desires to use in his communication with        the remote human assistant. This entry may be desirable, for        example, when the remote location is in a foreign country with a        different language.    -   6) The type of service that he desires from the human assistant.    -   7) The expected beginning date and time of his rental    -   8) The expected ending date and time of his rental    -   9) The hardware and software characteristics of the telepresence        station or computer that he intends to use. This entry may be        required to match the capability of the remote device to the        capability of the user's computer, and to specify the type of        service is required from the hardware.    -   10) The name and address of the user, for billing and/or        marketing purposes.    -   11) The credit card number of the user for billing purposes if        billing is done by credit card.    -   12) The maximum time duration reserved    -   13) The billing rate    -   14) Insurance information or statement for damages, injury and        theft.

Allocation of Remote Device and Human Assistant.

Based on the pertinent information, the user, remote device and humanassistant could be allocated to each other by humans, by the softwareserving the commercial enterprise or by a combination of both. Thefollowing steps are required for allocation:

-   -   1) Obtain information from the user about his time availability        and his desired remote location.    -   2) Ascertain that an appropriate remote device is available at        the required time and place    -   3) Contact the human assistant with the appropriate        qualifications and ascertain that he will be available at the        required remote time and place. More than one human assistant        may be allocated, depending on the need of the remote device and        on the type of telepresence service desired.

Authorization

When all requirements for the connection are satisfied, the user may beadvised that his telepresence transaction request has been granted.Similarly a notice may be sent to the human assistant. Otherwise, theuser is told that his request has been rejected, possibly with thereasons for the rejection, such as incomplete or erroneous data entry,insufficient credit, or unavailability of a remote device or humanassistant. Optionally, additional transaction details that had been leftundefined in the intake process, may be may be defined or made moreprecise. These may include for example the name of the human assistantand the exact time of the service.

Optionally the user may then be given the opportunity of performing anadditional step in authorizing the transaction, such as, if thetransaction is over the internet, by clicking on an icon.

Optionally the user may be sent a password to allow him to operate theremote device and/or be recognized by the human assistant.

The authorization procedure could also be performed by means other thanover the internet as for example, over the telephone, with a human useror with a voice recognition system.

Reservation of Remote Device and Human Assistant

Once the authorization is obtained from the user, the remote device andhuman assistant(s) are reserved for the appropriate time and place. Uponreceiving the authorization from the client, a notice is sent to thehuman assistant confirming the transaction.

Establishing a Connection

Once the transaction has been authorized, the telepresence station andthe remote device can be connected. This can be done immediately afterauthorization if all the requirements are satisfied, or at the appointedtime. This connection can be implemented in many possible ways.

If the communication is performed by telephone, videophone, cell phoneor video cell phone, then the telephone link can be established, forexample, by giving to the user the telephone number of the remotedevice, or of the human assistant; or giving the telephone number of theuser to the human assistant; or remotely instructing the remote deviceto dial the user; or forwarding the call from to the user to the humanassistant or to the device or forwarding the call from the humanassistant or remote device to the user.

If the communication medium is the internet as shown in FIG. 2, then thesoftware serving the telepresence company's web site can initiate theconnection by retrieving the web address of the selected remote devicefrom its database and handing it over to the software running at thetelepresence station. Optionally, a pass key or encryption code that canbe recognized by the remote device, and used to protect againstunauthorized control of the remote device, can also be transmitted tothe telepresence station by the web site software. Upon receiving theweb address of the remote device, and optionally the pass-key or anencryption code, the telepresence station directly queries the remotedevice through the web. If the pass-key or encryption scheme isrecognized by the remote device, the connection is established.

An alternative method of making the connection between the remote deviceand the telepresence station is to use the server running the web siteas an intermediate communication relay as shown in FIG. 3. According tothis scheme, the web site software retrieves from its database the webaddress of the selected remote device and establishes a bi-directionallink with it. This link can utilize a pass-key and/or an encryptionscheme to prevent unauthorized control of the remote device. The website software can then relay information from the telepresence stationto the remote device and vice-versa. This scheme may increase latencybut allows the web site software to monitor more closely the operationof the remote device. It allows supervisory control of the transactionat the web site.

Optionally a three way link could be established as shown in FIG. 2between the telepresence station, the remote device and the serverrunning the company web site. This approach would minimize latency inthe operation of the remote device while keeping the web site servercontinuously apprised of the operation of the remote device includingsome business transaction parameters such as the amount of time used,and maintenance data on the remote device.

Remote Operation

Depending on the type and capability of the remote device, varyingdegrees of help are required from the human assistant for the user tooperate the remote device. In one of its simplest forms, this inventionrequires both the user and the human assistant to hold a video cellphone. The user can observe on his video cell phone the image capturedby the video cell phone held by the human assistant. He can alsocommunicate by voice command how he wants the human assistant to moveand orient his video cell phone.

Several alternative designs are possible. For example, the command canbe conveyed to the human assistant by means of a display. The remotelycontrolled device can be held by the human assistant or can be mountedon the shoulder of the human assistant, or on a hand-pushed or motorizedvehicle. The range of operation is limited by the communication channelwhich can use any convenient and available technology such as a cellularnetwork or the Internet or a combination of technologies with the properconversion hardware and software in between. The human assistant can beselected from a pool for a range of talents and capabilities.

Billing

Billing can be performed in a variety of ways such as through the website software that handles the telepresence transactions, by a telephoneuser, and/or by the human assistant.

If the communication medium is the internet, then, at the end of thetelepresence session, the server running the web site software performsthe billing and possibly schedules maintenance by retrieving the amountof time and/or services used up in the transaction, either from its owndatabase (if it has been kept apprised of the operation as in a threeway link configuration for example) and/or from the remote device and/orfrom the telepresence station. Billing is performed according to apredetermined function of the amount of usage.

Prearranged Venues for Business Transaction Means

One of the simplest methods for allocating user to human assistant andhardware is to prearrange the time and place for the telepresenceoperation. This information would be useful both for the prospectiveusers as well as for the prospective human assistants. For example, onecould announce by means of a notice on the web, that tours of theUniversity of California San Diego campus will be available forprospective students from 9 AM to 12 PM every Wednesday from May toSeptember. Prospective students desiring such tours will login as users,at a web site supporting these tours and prospective human assistantswill login at the same web site but under an employment page possiblyadministered by the University or by a student employment firm. Thesehuman assistants may be UCSD students carrying with them their ownlaptop equipped with a wireless card and a webcam. Such arrangementswill make use of the wireless network (for example, using thecommunication standard 802.11b operating at 11 megabits per second or alater standard) that the university is providing to its students. Ofcourse other communication channels may be used if they are availableand other remote devices such as video cell phones could be used orhandheld computers (palmtops), if they have video streaming capability.

Variations

In its simplest case this invention describes a telepresence operationinvolving a single user operating a single remote device assisted by asingle human assistant. In this case the allocation problem is trivial.

More complicated cases arise such as in a business environment where alarge pool of users, remote devices and human assistants may have to beallocated to each other. The allocation process may involve allocating asingle user to a single device assisted by a single human or by severalhumans. It may also include a single user operating multiple devicesassisted by a single human or by several humans. It could also includemultiple users participating in the control of a single remote deviceassisted by a single human or by several humans; or multiple userscontrolling multiple remote devices assisted by a single human or bymultiple humans.

In addition, the telepresence transaction could be initiated by the useras well as by the human assistant. It is conceivable that a humanassistant solicits several users to obtain sponsorship to perform afeat, exploration or adventure in an exciting, dangerous, interesting,romantic, sexual, or hardly accessible environment. For example,adventures such as meeting or having a date with a famous movie star,going on a safari or climbing a tall mountain would be the kind ofadventures for which funding could be solicited (within legalparameters).

Specific Embodiments

To express the range of this invention, several versions of preferredembodiments are presented below:

-   -   1) Wireless videophone held by human    -   2) Wireless videophone with swivel carried on shoulder by human    -   3) Wireless videophone with swivel carried on dolly pushed by        human    -   4) Remotely controlled two-wheeled transport supervised by human        assistant    -   5) Remotely drivable robot in which human acts as a backup        driver.        As can be appreciated, the above embodiments represent a small        sample of all embodiments possible in this invention.

Wireless Videophone Held by Human

A simple version of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 4: theremotely controlled device is a simple video cell phone 31 held by ahuman assistant 32. This video cell phone 31 comprises a camera and isconnected to the workstation which could also be a video cell phone 33,by means of a wireless internet connection. The user 34 at theworkstation 33 observes the video and audio data generated by the cameraand generates voice instructions regarding the orientation, position andmovement of the camera. The voice instructions are transmitted back tothe human assistant 32 at the remote location by a communication linksuch as voice over internet or by means of a cellular phone network. Thehuman assistant listens to the instructions by means of earphones 35 forexample, and responds to the voice command by moving his video cellphone 31 accordingly. The instructions may include but are notrestricted to commands such as turn left, follow Elm street north, go tothe Washington Monument, cross the street, enter the art store, purchasethe painting, bargain on the price, ask a technical question, explainwho you are, go visit my children at the university, walk faster, take abreak, stop, etc. . . .

Wireless Videophone with Swivel Carried on Shoulder by Human

Another version is shown in FIG. 5: the remotely controlled devicecomprises a camera mounted on a remotely controlled swivel 36 whichcould optionally have one or two degrees of freedom. The device, carriedby the human assistant 32 on his shoulder, provides the user 34 with apoint of view nearly identical to that of the human assistant 32. Theuser 34 controls the orientation of the swivel 36 but sends audio orvisual commands carrying displacement information to the human assistant32. An approximately similar idea is shown in FIG. 6 wherein the videocell phone at the user location is replaced by a computer with internetaccess. This computer is capable of accepting voice data by means of amicrophone 37, and video information by means of a camera 38.

Wireless Videophone with Swivel Carried on Dolly Pushed by Human

Yet another version of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 7. Theremote controlled device is a camera 31 and display 39 on a remotelycontrolled one or two-degree of freedom swivel 36. The swivel 36 andcamera, display and swivel assembly is mounted on a dolly 40 pushed by ahuman assistant 32. The video and audio information generated by thecamera 31 is transmitted through a wireless internet link to aworkstation and conveyed to a user 34. The user 34 observes the videoand audio and generates audio (vocal) and digital commands through theworkstation. These commands, together with a video of his own face aresent, through the wireless internet link back to the remote location.The audio commands are conveyed to the human assistant 32. The digitalcommands are used by a motorized actuator to control the orientation ofthe swivel 36. The video of his face is presented by the display 39.Optionally the vocal command could be replaced by digital commands whichare conveyed to the human assistant 32 by means of a second display 41at the remote location, which may be attached to the back of the firstdisplay 39. The commands could be in text form such as “Turn Left” or ingraphical form such as an arrow or a pointer on the display. Anapproximately similar idea is presented in FIG. 8, wherein the twowheeled dolly 40 is replaced by a four-wheel cart 42.

Remotely Controlled Two-Wheeled Transport Supervised by Human

Another version is illustrated in FIG. 9: the remotely controlled deviceis a mobile robot comprising a camera 31 and display 39 combination,mounted on a type of personal transport 43 trademarked under the name of“SEGWAY” described in Kamen's U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,766. Video and audiodata is sent to a workstation 33 by means of a bi-directional wirelessinternet connection. The user 34 who may be sitting in a wheelchair 44behind the workstation, observes the video and audio, and generatesthrough his workstation 33 digital commands which are sent through thewireless internet connection back to the mobile robot 43 for controllingits movements and activities. The human assistant 32 intervenes onlywhen the robot 43 is about to perform a risky or illegal maneuver. Thisversion does not need as much communication with the human assistant asthe versions described above. Communication may be necessary at thebeginning and at the end of the process to establish the parameters ofthe interaction between the user 34 and the remote human assistant 32.For example they would have to decide Such things as how long theservice would last and the geographical location to be covered.

Remotely Drivable Robot in which a Human Acts as a Backup Driver

Yet another embodiment shown in FIG. 10 includes a remote devicecomprising of a four wheel vehicle 45 equipped with sensors such as acamera 31, as well as a human assistant 32 in the driver's seat. As inthe previous embodiment, the sensor suite communicates with thetelepresence station 33 by means of a wireless radio link connected tothe internet. When driving conditions are safe, the user could drive thevehicle 45 remotely with the human assistant acting in a supervisoryrole. Alternatively, the human assistant could drive the vehicleaccording to the commands of the users. Allowing the user to drive thevehicle provides him with a greater sense of control and presence.However, having the human assistant drive the vehicle may be less riskyand may be indicated when the user is unfamiliar with the environment orunwilling to perform this task. It is therefore possible to accommodatevarying degrees of participation in the task of driving and controllingthe location and orientation of the camera, between the human assistantand the user.

Another variation shown in FIG. 11A utilizes a human assistant carryinga display 39 of the user on his chest. The human assistant 32 couldcarry a single camera to provide the user with a view of the remoteenvironment. Alternatively, two cameras 31 could be positioned on eitherside of the display 39. The video information from the cameras is fusedby means of an algorithm run on a processor, to generate a virtual imageas seen from an arbitrary position such as a point located between thecameras, in front of the display. An approximately similar approach hasbeen suggested by researchers (A. Criminisi. J. Shotton, A. Blake, P. H.S. Torr) at the Microsoft Research Ltd in Cambridge, UK, forfacilitating eye to eye communication between teleconferencingparticipants. FIG. 11B describes how the presence of the user can beemphasized and that of the human assistant, de-emphasized by coveringthe head of the human assistant with a chador, burkha or mask to hidehis facial expressions.

Clearly the environment, mobility, weight requirement, etc, as well asthe application desired of the user affects the type of hardware whichshould be used in any telepresence application. For example, if thetelepresence experience involves climbing a mountain, the best type ofremote device may be a simple and light-weight video phone. However, ifthe experience requires visiting an elder person in a nursing home, adisplay showing the face of the user may be more suitable. If theexperience requires direct acting on the environment, then a remotelycontrolled robot may be used. Applications of this invention include butare not limited to:

-   -   1) Tourism    -   2) Attending conferences, training or classes and other        instructional or educational activities    -   3) Touring universities by prospective students    -   4) Visiting family members and friends in nursing homes,        hospitals and other environments    -   5) Participating in family events and other festivities    -   6) Performing business transactions at a remote location    -   7) Visiting real estates locations by prospective buyers and        renters    -   8) Providing an alternative to sending flowers and/or balloons        to someone    -   9) Providing means for disabled and/or elderly persons for        attending functions, visit locations and people, and shopping    -   10) Participating in field trips or expeditions involving        scientific, technical or artistic research such as, but not        limited to, archeology, architecture, civil engineering,        paleontology, geology, oceanography, fine arts, photography and        tourism.    -   11) Experiencing interactive reality shows. This can be achieved        by having a user direct the human assistant to perform actions        in the human assistant's environment which are more or less        staged for entertainment value thereby providing said user with        an interactive reality show.

The video data directed to the telepresence workstation can be editedbefore being displayed by the workstation. This editing may take placeeither at the remote site, or at the user's workstation, or at a site onthe internet included in the communication channel between the remotesystem and the user's workstation. This third alternative may beimplemented in several ways. For example, data collected by the remotedevice could be first sent to a site on the internet to perform anynecessary editing and additions. This site would then send this modifieddata to the user's workstation.

Editing the data may include adding written or graphical informationdesigned to assist the user in his operation. This information mayinclude maps of the remote environment, textual messages describing thestate or nature of the object at the remote environment, generaladvertisements, or specific advertisement for objects on sale at theremote environment. In effect the display may provide the user with acomplete merging of virtual and real data as well as providing the userwith a GUI interactive environment.

In addition, the display could include navigation information such asposition, orientation and altitude. It could also include weather data.It could also provide the user with touristic information andsuggestions such as places to visit, shopping areas, restaurants andhotels as well as historical information about the area.

The display could also include textual information representing atranscription of the voice data detected at the remote site. Voice datawould first be processed by a voice recognition system that wouldproduce a text output. The text output could then be added to thedisplay as “subtitles.” This feature would particularly be interestingto hearing impaired users.

The same arrangement as above could also be used to translate voiceinformation. Voice data would first be processed by a voice recognitionsystem that would produce a text output. The text output would then betranslated by a language translation system. The text output of thelanguage translation system would then be sent to the user's workstationwhere it would be displayed as subtitles. Alternatively, the text outputfrom the language translation system could be fed into a voice synthesissystem generating an audio output that would be sent to the user'sworkstation and thereby conveyed to the user.

The workstation display could also be used to provide the user withrunning cost information for his renting or leasing of the telepresencesystem and labor cost for the human assistant.

Remote systems could also be in the form of video cell phones in whichthe screen is twistable to face away from the keyboard, thus allowingpeople at the remote environment to look at the face of the caller onthe video cell phone held by the human assistant.

While the above description contains many specificities, the readershould not construe these as limitations on the scope of the invention,but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. Thoseskilled in the art will envision many other possible variations withinits scope. Accordingly, the reader is requested to determine the scopeof the invention by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, andnot by the examples which have been given.

1. A telepresence system for providing telepresence service, said systemcomprising: a) a telepresence workstation located at a proximal site,allowing an end-user of said telepresence service, located at saidproximal site, to define or specify a telepresence venue located at aremote site, said telepresence workstation comprising an interface foraccepting control information from said user and also for conveyingsensory information to said user; b) one or more remotely controlledmobile communication systems capable of video streaming located at oneor more remote locations different from said proximal site, each saidremotely controlled mobile communication system comprising at least onesensor for collecting sensory information from its environment, saidsensory information including said video streaming, and furthermore eachsaid remotely controlled mobile communication system requiringassistance from a human assistant located at said remote location tooperate, said remotely controlled mobile communication systemscomprising an interface for conveying a part or the whole of saidcontrol information to said human assistant, and furthermore saidremotely controlled mobile communication system being carried openly bysaid human assistant; c) a marketplace conducted over a communicationnetwork for allocating from said multiplicity of remotely controlledmobile communication systems, to said specified telepresence venue, aparticular remotely controlled mobile communication system henceforthdubbed allocated remote system; d) said marketplace also used forallocating from a pool comprising at least one person, at least onehuman assistant located at said remote site whose task is to assist saidallocated remote system in its operation; e) a bi-directionalcommunication channel linking said workstation to said allocated remotesystem, said communication channel transmitting said control informationfrom said workstation to said allocated remote system, and alsotransmitting said sensory information back from said allocated remotesystem to said workstation for conveyance to said user. f) wherein saiduser and said human assistant are defined as parties in a businessrelationship in which said user pays said human assistant for providingtelepresence service to said user.
 2. A telepresence system as in claim1 wherein said telepresence workstation allows said user to specify saidvenue by presenting him with a list from which he can select said venue.3. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said telepresence userand telepresence workstation are selected from a multiplicity ofnetworked communication devices and associated users.
 4. A telepresencesystem as in claim 1 wherein said allocated remote system comprises aninterface for conveying information from said human assistant back tosaid user.
 5. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said controlinformation comprises audio data and said allocated remote systemcomprises a speaker for converting said audio data into sound.
 6. Atelepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said human assistant's taskscomprises at least one activity selected from the group consisting of:a) providing translational locomotory services for said remote controldevice; b) orientating said remote control device; c) providingengineering services for said remote control device; d) maintaining saidremote control device; e) steering for said remote controlled device; f)operating sensor of said remote controlled device; and g) providingbilling services for rental of said remote controlled device by saiduser.
 7. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said humanassistant's tasks comprises at least one activity selected from thegroup consisting of: a) providing touristic guide services to said user;b) providing a language translation service to said user.
 8. Atelepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said telepresence workstationcomprises a cell phone and said communication channel comprises acellular network.
 9. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein saidtelepresence workstation comprises a video cell phone and saidcommunication channel comprises a cellular network capable of supportingvideo streaming.
 10. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein saidtelepresence workstation comprises a camera that captures the image ofsaid user, and packs information of said image into said controlinformation, and wherein said allocated remote system comprises adisplay that utilizes part of, or all, said control information todisplay said image of said user.
 11. A telepresence system as in claim 1wherein said telepresence workstation comprises at least one data entrydevice selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a mouse, ajoystick, a lever, a touch pad, a light pen, a touch sensitive screen, acursor ball, a scroll wheel, a sensory glove, an eye tracking device, ahead tracking device, a pedal, an electroencephalogram machine, a skinconductivity sensor, and a microphone, for generating said controlinformation.
 12. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein saidtelepresence workstation comprises a display.
 13. A telepresence systemas in claim 1 wherein said telepresence workstation comprises awheelchair.
 14. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein saidallocated remote system comprises a cell phone and said communicationchannel comprises a cellular network.
 15. A telepresence system as inclaim 1 wherein said allocated remote system comprises a video cellphone and said communication channel comprises a cellular networkcapable of supporting video streaming.
 16. A telepresence system as inclaim 1 wherein said control information comprises a code that can beexecuted by computing hardware, and wherein said allocated remote systemcomprises computing hardware, whereas said code is executed by thecomputing hardware at said allocated remote system.
 17. A telepresencesystem as in claim 1 wherein said allocated remote system comprises acamera that collects from the environment information which it packsinto said sensory information.
 18. A telepresence system as in claim 17wherein said camera is mounted on a motorized swivel that utilizes partof, or all, said control information to orient itself.
 19. Atelepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said allocated remote systemcomprises at least one audio or video means for converting part of, orall, said control information in a form suitable to be understood byhumans.
 20. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said allocatedremote system comprises at least one display.
 21. A telepresence systemas in claim 1 wherein said communication channel comprises at least oneelement selected from the group consisting of a cellular network, aradio link, a telephone link, a cable link, and the Internet.
 22. Atelepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said allocated remote systemcomprises mechanically disconnected parts, at least one of said parts iscarried by said human assistant.
 23. A telepresence system as in claim 1wherein said allocated remote system comprises a mechanical transportmeans.
 24. A telepresence system as in claim 23 wherein said mechanicaltransport means comprises wheels.
 25. A telepresence system as in claim23 wherein said mechanical transport means comprises mechanical legs.26. A telepresence system as in claim 23 wherein said mechanicaltransport motion is controlled in part or in whole by said humanassistant.
 27. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein saidallocated remote system is carried by a two-wheeled vehicle comprising astabilization mechanism.
 28. A telepresence system as in claim 1 whereinsaid remote controlled device comprises an artificial intelligencemodule, whereby it can achieve semi-autonomy from said user and saidhuman assistant.
 29. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein saidsensory information is edited to convey to said user additionalinformation.
 30. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein saidsensory information or said control information comprises voice data,and said telepresence system comprises an automated voice recognitionmeans for converting said voice data to a written transcription.
 31. Atelepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said sensory information orsaid control information comprises voice or textual data expressed in afirst language and said telepresence system also comprises a languagetranslation means for translating said data expressed in said firstlanguage, into data expressed in a second language.
 32. A telepresencesystem as in claim 1 wherein said human assistant carries a display ofsaid user.
 33. A telepresence system as in claim 32 wherein said displayis equipped with two cameras on either side, each of said camerasgenerating an independent video stream, said video streams beingprocessed by a means for producing a virtual perspective located betweensaid cameras.
 34. A telepresence system as in claim 31 wherein saidhuman assistant wears a mask, hood, or burkha as a means for shieldinghis own face and emphasizing the virtual presence of said user at saidremote location.
 35. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein saiduser is a prospective student and said remote location is a university.36. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said user is aprospective real estate buyer and said remote location is a real estatefor sale.
 37. A telepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said user is aconference tele-attendee and said remote location is a conference.
 38. Atelepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said user is a tourist andsaid remote location is a tourist area.
 39. A telepresence system as inclaim 1 wherein said remote area is a nursing home or a hospital.
 40. Atelepresence system as in claim 1 wherein said user is a shopper andsaid remote area is a shopping area.
 41. A telepresence system as inclaim 1 wherein said user directs in part or in whole said humanassistant to perform actions in said human assistant's environment whichhas been staged for entertainment value thereby providing said user withan interactive reality show.
 42. A telepresence workstation as in claim1 wherein said telepresence operation takes place at a prearranged timeand prearranged said remote location.
 43. A business transaction methodfor providing telepresence service over a communication network to anend-user of said telepresence service, said user located at a proximalsite, said telepresence service comprising the operation by the userthrough a telepresence workstation located at said proximal site, of amobile communication remote controlled system capable of video streamingand located at a remote site, said remotely controlled mobilecommunication system henceforth dubbed remote controlled system, saidoperation requiring the help of a human assistant also located at saidremote site, said remote site being different from said proximal site,said business transaction comprising: a) performing the intake of saiduser, said intake comprising conveying to said user pricing informationregarding said telepresence service and furthermore comprising allowingsaid user to define or select a venue for said telepresence service,said venue being located at a remote site and said venue defining a timefor said telepresence service; b) allocating to said user said remotecontrolled system partly or wholly according to said selected venue,said allocated remote controlled system located at said remote site andrequiring human assistance at said remote site for its operation; c)allocating to said user at least one human assistant available at saidremote site partly or wholly according to said venue, to assist saidallocated remote controlled system; d) obtaining the authorization ofsaid user for said allocated remote controlled system and said allocatedhuman assistant; e) upon receiving said authorization, reserving saidallocated remote system and reserving said human assistant; f) at saidtime of telepresence service, establishing a bi-directionalcommunication link between said telepresence workstation and saidallocated remote system; g) providing said telepresence service, saidtelepresence service comprising control information flowing from saidproximal site to said remote site and also comprising sensoryinformation flowing from said remote site to said proximal site, saidsensory information including said video streaming; h) obtaining ameasure of usage of said remote system by said user, said measure beingdefined as a predetermined function of usage; i) billing said useraccording to said measure of usage; and j) said business transactionbeing conducted openly.
 44. A business transaction method as in claim 43wherein said venue is selected from a list.
 45. A business transactionmethod for providing telepresence service over a communication networkto a user located at a proximal site, said telepresence servicecomprising the operation by said user through a telepresence workstationlocated at said proximal site, of a mobile communication system capableof video streaming located at a remote site, said operation requiringthe help of a human assistant also located at said remote site, saidcommunication network being connected to an auction market service, saidtelepresence service also comprising the transmission of sensoryinformation from said remote site to said proximal site and furthermorecomprising the transmission of control information from said proximalsite to said remote site, said sensory information including said videostreaming, said remote site being different from said proximal site,said business transaction comprising: a) said user accessing saidauction market service and performing a user-defined action, said userdefined action comprising: i. participating in said auction market topurchase said telepresence service; ii. sending said control informationover said communication network, and iii. receiving said sensoryinformation over said communication network; and b) said human assistantaccessing said auction market and performing a human-assistant-definedaction said human assistant-defined action comprising: i. participatingin said auction market to sell said telepresence service; ii. sendingsaid sensory information over said communication network; and iii.acting upon said control information.
 46. A business transaction as inclaim 45 wherein said human assistant-defined action comprises postingof a price offer for services to be rendered by said human assistant andsaid user-defined action comprises accepting said price offer.
 47. Abusiness transaction as in claim 45 wherein said human assistant-definedaction comprises posting of a minimum bid for services to be rendered bysaid human assistant and said user-defined action comprises bidding forsaid services.
 48. A business transaction as in claim 45 wherein saidremote mobile communication system is rented or leased by a businessowner, to said human assistant or to said user.
 49. A businesstransaction as in claim 45 wherein said user-defined action comprisesposting of a bid offer for services to be rendered by said humanassistant and said human assistant-defined action comprises acceptingsaid bid to provide said services to said user.